It’s mind-boggling to say the media is inciting the public against MPs – Sulemana Braimah

Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is dismayed that Major (Rtd.) Derek Oduro, the deputy defence minister, claims that the media is inciting the public against MPs.

According to him, “it’s mind-boggling” for the deputy defence minister to make such a statement about the media.

“I haven’t read any editorial, and I refer to editorial because that is the opinion of the media organization that seeks to pitch the public against our parliamentarians. I haven’t heard any discussions that are among journalists publicly saying that the public should rise against this decision that has now been made,” Sulemana Braimah reacted on Joy FM.

Sulemana Braimah’s comment comes after Major (Rtd) Derek Oduro, the Nkoranza North MP, told the Parliamentary Press Corps that media reportage after the interior minister’s announcement that he would give MPs police protection following the murder of the Mfantseman MP were mischievous and causing resentment against MPs.

“…As if we are from the Congo River Basin...put down here to serve the nation. Meanwhile, you voted for us, you [are] supposed to love us, get us closer to you but you hate parliamentarians and it is partly because some of you the media incite the general public against us. We must be frank,” Major (Rtd) Derek Oduro said earlier on Joy FM on Wednesday.

But Braimah believes that the MPs are being criticized by the general public because they feel the general security situation in the country is not the best and the MPs are to secure the safety of the people rather than securing themselves.

“That is what the general public is saying, it is not out of hatred, it is out of concern [for] the fact that they feel MPs who should represent their interest are now [mainly] representing their own interest,” Brimah observed. “I think it's quite revealing and perhaps I think we should probe more for him to tell us why he has come to the conclusion that members of the public hate parliamentarians. If it's true then there must be a reason,” Sulemana Braimah concluded.